Sunday, May 2, 2010

Increased Cholesterol and Diet

Hi Dr Rajesh, Greetings from the BVI.

I am having a bit of a problem with my cholesterol level. One test rated me as having a 4.4 risk factor on a scale of 1 - 5. I believe that you are the best person to consult with on any medical issue. About 14 years of my age, I had an operation in which a part of my colon was removed. One doctor told me that this did affect the elimination of fats.

If your Doctors suggest that increased Cholesterol level is due to your Colon Surgery, it only means that your body is not able to throw out excess/ unnecessary fat. Stress is another factor where Fat Metabolism can be disturbed. But, whatever may be the reason for your increased Cholesterol, I have a few suggestions which will help you lower your Cholesterol naturally.

First thing you will need to understand is this Cholesterol. Cholesterol is a chemical name of the fat in which form it is stored/ gets circulated in your body. Circulating fat (also called as Lipid) gets transported in your blood with a Protein bond and together Cholesterol is otherwise known as Lipoprotein (Lipid + Protein). If the density of the Lipoprotein is higher means it takes less space and circulates easily in your blood (it is called Good Cholesterol or High Density Lipoprotein - HDL Cholesterol). If the Density is less, that means it takes more space and 'floats' in Blood (this is called Bad Chelesterol- Low Density/ Very Low Density Lipoprotein- LDL / VLDL Cholesterol).

In diet, if you depend on Red Meat, Eggs, Clarified/ heated Butter and fried food items- that will increase chances of having increased overall Cholesterol or Bad Chelesterol in your system. Increased Cholesterol is the leading cause of High Blood Pressure/ Hypertension, Heart Disease, Strokes and certain types of Cancer. So, it it is wise to limit or altogether remove many of the items I have already mentioned in this paragraph.

If you have recommended six daily servings of fruits and vegetables/ green salad- you can reduce the chances of having increased Cholesterol levels.